Where do neon lights get their color?
The wide variety of colors available in neon are created in three ways, or any combination of the three. 1. Inert gas. We use 2 inert gasses, neon and argon/mercury. Neon gives off a reddish-orange color, while argon/mercury is a light blue. 2. Fluorescent powders. Many neon tubes are coated on the inside with fluorescent powders that filter out different colors from the light spectrum. In combination with the different gasses, an even greater number of colors are achieved. For instance, a green tube, filled with argon/mercury (blue gas) will light up green. Fill the same tube with neon (red gas) and it lights up orange. Likewise a blue tube, filled with blue gas will light up blue, and the same blue tube filled with red gas will light up pink. 3. Colored glass. Finally, the use of colored “classic” glass is an old world method which achieves the most vivid colors (reddest reds, deepest blues, etc.) but they are not as bright as other neon. They are also more costly, so are not used as
